China joins India with formal backing for Copenhagen Accord

China has today joined with India in formally signing up to the Copenhagen Accord, making it the last major emerging economy to endorse the controversial agreement.

In a letter to the UN climate change secretariat, Chinese climate negotiator Su Wei said the UN could "proceed to include China in the list" of countries that formally support the agreement and have made voluntary pledges to tackle domestic carbon emissions.

The news comes just hours after Indian environment secretary Jairam Ramesh told the country's parliament that India had similarly agreed to be formally listed in the Copenhagen Accord.

More than 100 countries have now said they wish to be formally "associated" with the Accord, which pledges to limit temperature rises to two degrees and includes commitments to increase climate funding for developing countries. It also requires industrialised countries to table emission reduction targets for 2020 and developing countries to provide detailed climate change action plans.

Attention will now turn to Russia, which is the last remaining major greenhouse gas emitter not to formally endorse the agreement.

China and India had been central to the tense negotiations with the US, Brazil and South Africa that delivered the Accord. However, while both countries provided details of their commitments to reduce the carbon intensity of their economies, they failed to initially formalise their support for the agreement. The delay was widely thought to be prompted by fears among some developing countries that the Accord would be used to sideline the negotiating framework set out in the existing Kyoto Treaty.

The move should provide a shot in the arm for faltering international climate change negotiations and means all the world's largest greenhouse gas emitters, including the US, the EU, Japan, Brazil, Indonesia, South Africa and Mexico have now formally endorsed the agreement.